The last time the Washington Nationals met the New York Mets, they were two teams heading in opposite directions. The Nationals were on the rise in the standings, headed over .500, while the Mets where plummeting into the cellar of the NL East. The tides have suddenly changed for Tuesday night's game at Nationals Park. The Nationals are now on a slow spiral back to the bottom of the division standings following a series loss to both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the Mets are rocketing into D.C. with a four-game win streak and every intention to pull themselves out of the doldrums of the East.
It will be up to Washington starter Jordan Zimmermann (1-3, 3.70 ERA) to cool off New York's offense, and it will be up to Danny Espinosa, Wilson Ramos, Jayson Werth and Michael Morse to generate some heat of their own at the plate. The Nationals' offense has been of great concern as of late, as they have not been swinging the bat well and have had trouble stringing hits together and generating runs.
The offense will get their second look of the season at New York pitcher Chris Young (1-0, 1.46 ERA), who in their last meeting earlier in the season only gave up one hit to the Nats in seven innings. However, Young was just activated from the disabled list after dealing with biceps tendinitis, and has not pitched since the two team's last meeting on April 10th. If there is any opportunity for the Nats to get a jump on Chris Young, Tuesday night might be the time.
Nationals Lineup
Danny Espinosa - 2B
Rick Ankiel - CF
Jayson Werth - RF
Adam LaRoche - 1B
Wilson Ramos - C
Michael Morse - LF
Jerry Hairston Jr. - 3B
Alex Cora - SS
Jordan Zimmermann - SP